Newbie Dual Han in Carbonite Build

[lawdaddy]

Have I ever built a prop before? Not really. Do I build models? No. Am I the biggest Star Wars fan in the world? No--I'm a fan, but I'm not as immersed in it as I feel I should be.

Okay, so am I a woodworker, body shop guy, or do anything with my hands on a daily basis? Again, no. I have a desk job and work long hours in front of a computer screen. But it wasn't always this way, and over the years (including through growing up on a farm) I learned a few things here and there. I'm a bit of a DIY junkie--projects ranging from building PVC pet cages to restoring an old Mortal Kombat II arcade for my wife for Christmas (equipped with a switch to allow her to alternate between legitimate jammas of Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat III, a NEO GEO cartridge player, and Street Fighter II--none of this emulator/unauthorized download stuff for us).

So how did this happen? Well, one day a buddy of mine calls me up at work and says, "I have a proposal for you. I want you to build me a Han in Carbonite." I say "A whosawhatsit?!" Then, he proceeded to supplement my feeble Star Wars recollection, and set out the terms of the deal. "If you will build me a Han in Carbonite, I will pay for all of the materials to cover one for you too!"

I told him I'd think about it. Spare time is scarce, and (1) I didn't know what this would involve, and (2) I was hesitant to commit without clarifying that this would be a long process and not an overnight build. Ultimately, I came around and here we are.

I've been pre-occupied for a few months, but have now received some of my materials and am starting to get going. Both to document for my own sanity (since there's only so much you can rattle on about this stuff without making people try to leave the room), and for the enjoyment of others that might be interested, I've decided to start a thread to follow the build. Again, this may take quite awhile, so bear with me. I'm not going for 100% screen accurate, as I'm seeing that to do that may require exorbitant time and/or $$ (especially to piece together all of the extremely impressive items I'm seeing in the classifieds), but I'm going to get as close as I can within reason.

 

[lawdaddy]

Panels

Maybe a bit unorthodox, but I've decided to start first with the panels. I only have so much garage space, and I didn't want to end up with two life-size HICs waiting for weeks on me to build panels. And, I suspected this part would be a bit cumbersome.

I was able to snag two sets of panels cast from original Volvo panels (for those not in the know, the control panels are a backwards dash panel from a Volvo 343/345). I purchased them from a guy on eBay for $500 for both sets shipped to my door. I wanted to just get 1 original panel and figure out how to cast them myself, but I had no luck in finding one. And, I didn't want to compromise on the panels or the Han cast (more on this later).

Thanks to Zenix's amazing work, and this thread: http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f31/han-solo-carbonite-greeblies-now-available-panels-coming-49705/ I knew the "official" parts list that was needed. Below is the list, along with information that I found regarding the original part and what I ultimately chose to do. I plan to update this post as the build progresses. I'm also attaching his photos of the parts for reference. However, Zenix if you want this removed just let me know and it's down.

Zenix's Full Parts List:

(1) 27 smaller nipples--[no info on original]--decided to order 9mm leather press studs off of Amazon
(2) 11 larger nipples--[no info on original]--decided to order 12mm leather press studs off of Amazon
(3) 3 T pieces--[closest I can tell is this is a sound mixer knob/lever--possibly an Abe, Telefunken, or Klangfilm]--couldn't find an alternative I liked, and was able to find cast part on eBay to duplicate using Smoothcast and Oomoo mold kit from Amazon
(4) 2 handles--[no info on original--2 3/4 generic pull handle]--went with: http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Thre...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
(5) 29 rings--[no info on original]--contemplating 1/2" pvc pipe cut into rings
(6) 1 capped ring--(not seeing this in Zenix's photos) [no info on original]--contemplating a 1/2" pvc pipe cap ground down to the right height or some sort of plastic furniture foot protector
(7) 1 slightly larger ring--[no info on original]--not certain I will actually make this one larger--may potentially use a piece of 3/4" pvc pipe cut into a ring
(8) 1 small cylinder--[no info on original]--likely will use a plastic bushing from specialty hardware drawer at Home Depot
(9) 1 half sphere--[no info on original]--contemplating a 1/2" pvc pipe cap ground down to the right height
(10) 1 small flat disc--[no info on original]--maybe a plastic furniture foot protector
(11) 6 large flat discs with cutout--[seems to be some sort of strut or bushing washer]--I ordered a 2" "cup magnet" to drill out and fill in with Bondo to create the "D"--will mold and copy with Oomoo and Smoothcast kit
(12) 1 shorter knurled knob--[J. A. Michell Transcriptor Sweep Arm knob]--knobs included as part of Fettronics wiring kit. Not knurled, but do not plan to change unless it bothers me.
(13) 1 taller knurled knob--[J. A. Michell Transcriptor Sweep Arm knob]--knobs included as part of Fettronics wiring kit. Not knurled, but do not plan to change unless it bothers me.
(14) 4 small tubes (I only saw three but I think there was a 4th)--[no info on original]--used plastic bushings from specialty hardware drawer at Home Depot
(15) 1 square side greeblie--[no info on original]--ignoring this particular greeblie, as to me it is not very noteworthy and would require tracking down a unique part for just one panel
(16) 1 spring screw for side greeblie--[no info on original]--see note regarding #15
(17) 1 mesh screen grill--[likely cut from vent panel from radio receiver or similar electronic unit]--cut from top panel of broken audio receiver purchased on eBay
(18) 1 tall knob--[no info on original]--fabricated using a piece of aluminum rod (could have used a washer but didn't have one on hand), the end of a plastic BIC pen, and a small screw--will mold and copy with Oomoo and Smoothcast kit
(19) 1 flat knob--[likely a knob from 35mm or similar camera]--purchased old 35mm Pentax camera from eBay for knob, then created mold and cast with Smoothcast and Oomoo mold kit
(20) 1 dial box--[Bronica ETRS/ETRSI waist level finder]--purchased Mamiya RB waist level finder--sizing completely off so had to chop it down and glue it back together--will copy/cast with Smoothcast and Oomoo
(21) 9 U-clips with rounded flathead screw--[Staver V7 Heatsink]--cannot for the life of me locate originals. Fabricating using aluminum sheet and bending pliers.
(22) 6 U clips with thickened flat Phillips screw--[Staver V7 Heatsink]--cannot for the life of me locate originals. Fabricating using aluminum sheet and bending pliers.
(23) 5 U-clips with thickened flat flathead screw--[Staver V7 Heatsink]--cannot for the life of me locate originals. Fabricating using aluminum sheet and bending pliers.

 

[Jedifyfe]

"Good luck,...you're gonna need it" - Han Solo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDKVHSGS0eg

 

[lawdaddy]

The Build:

As mentioned, I picked up a set of slush cast side panels from eBay (got a deal from the guy because I was buying two sets). Ultimately I'm not sure how great of an idea that was since none of the holes are actually open. This is good in that I don't have to fill in every hole (I can in theory just paint the area or add a piece of material to get the look I want) and it's structurally stronger. The bad is that it's flipping fiberglass/resin that is really nasty to cut out/grind flush when, for example, creating the hero panels that have to have openings. Here is what they look like in raw form:




For better or worse, I decided to start the project not only by doing the panels, but by knocking out the hero panels. Here's a shot of the panels after I'd made my cut-outs, drilled holes, attached handles, added bondo to fix some issues with the cast (and to fix where the handle screw holes that I had to drill out got a little too close to the panel edges), and was ready for paint:



Now primer:



Paint:



I then added the LED 7 segment displays (I used Loctite Gel Super Glue per a recommendation of another thread by King Jawa) and grid screen (sans grid). As a side note, because of how the panels were cast (i.e. the back side not matching the original panel), I couldn't just attach the plexiglass to the rear without doing a significant amount of additional grinding/sanding. Instead, I opted to take a little extra time with the cuts and insert them from the front, with the back of the screens flush with the back of the original opening (if that makes sense). In other words, the screen effectively sits on top of the panel rather than behind it. I used white latex caulk to adhere the plexiglass from behind, which also filled any cracks on the edges. As a side note, I purchased the LEDs/electronics from Fettronics. I wanted fully functional lighting, but to program an Arduino board and source the correct electronics, etc., seemed like too much of a task to take on unless my buddy would be cool with tacking another several months onto the build. Here are the panels after completing this step:



And, after cleaning excess caulk from the front and rear of the screens and adding the grids using 1/16 inch pinstripe tape:



Also, I'm not sure if it will show up in the pictures very well (given that at least from the preview screen even the grids are hard to make out--may have to upload bigger files), but I am toying with using brushed aluminum automotive wrap material to fill in the openings. The last rectangle on both panels has the material applied. I am thinking of going this route on all panels, but am also thinking of using this on the hero panels in lieu of plexiglass. Metal seems a more appropriate material if this were truly a functioning electronic, as the plexiglass seems more of an "it was easier to fill the whole back of the panel with one piece rather than change each opening" than a reasoned decision (die hards, don't yell at me too much, I know it is an artistic element of recreating the original and I'd be deviating--but I'm contemplating whether I want to go this route). Anyway, that's where I'm at for now.

- - - Updated - - -

 

[lawdaddy]

A little bit of progress to report . . .

I did an initial mock up of the brushed aluminum in the light recess. Please ignore the junk I used to prop up the panel.



It looks decent in the photo, but the problem I had with it was the material had a tendency to pull and bubble around the light holes. I decided to go ahead and create plexiglass inserts using the same material as the main screen (55% translucent plexiglass sample piece from Amazon). Here's what that looks like:



Ultimately this looks much cleaner and I don't have to worry about bubbles around the lights. I went ahead and did the other cavity for the T-slider knobs with this as well to complete the look. And here are the twins:



Next I think I'll clean up the T-slider pieces I received in the mail and go ahead and get the others cast. Or, I may figure out how I want to attach the circuit board to the back. I'm waiting on the Sony receiver to come in so I can cut out the mesh material and mount the knobs. I think I'm also getting my Pentax camera in today or tomorrow, so I'll likely pull off the knob and mold it at the same time as the sliders.

 

[lawdaddy]

Also, I forgot to point it out, but you may note that the triangles at the sides of the main light cavities look a bit different. I ran into a bit of a dilemma there. (1) The LED housings are nearly as big as the triangle openings themselves, (2) those areas were poorly formed in my panels, (3) to clean up those openings would be very difficult (Dremel heaven), (4) to cut a triangle that size would be very difficult, and (5) when drilling the hole in the plexiglass I would likely just shatter the triangles since the hole would possibly hit the edges. This isn't as much of an issue if you have clean, non-slush cast panels where you can easily mount the plexiglass to the back and avoid the drill bit hitting it everywhere. My workaround was to add white latex caulk (same as used to mount the main grid screen), then to push the housings in from above (in the photos I've yet to go back and clean off excess from the housings). The downside is this gives it a more opaque look. I'm not sure whether that is making it look cool or highlights an inconsistency. If I were to do it again, I might consider doing it with Elmer's Glue All to have a more translucent look, or even to use the white Smoothcast mix I have and pour it into the cavities, then re-drill the holes (this would still be opaque, but not as much and I could control the level a little better to match the plexiglass in the main cavities). Any thoughts on how this looks as is?

 

[lawdaddy]

Lots of progress this weekend. I received a few items in the mail, and the wife had to work a lot, so once the kid went to bed I was out in the garage hitting it like a champ.

First thing's first: the decals. So with 2 builds and trying to do what I can to keep costs down for my buddy, I decided that rather than buy these I would make them myself in Microsoft Paint and then print them on clear decal/sticker paper. After a few hiccups with my printer (which I rarely use), I finally got it to give me this:



I was able to zoom in on a few photos of the original, as well as decals from other builds, and use them as a backdrop in Paint to create them/clean them up, and then modify to get closer to the original. For those of you wanting to do this yourself and save a little money, here's the file I created:



Make sure you use a clear coat of something over the decal print once you're done or the ink will rub right off. I let it dry about a half day, then shot it with some clear lacquer I had lying around. It seems to have done the trick. Here's one of the hero panels with the decals placed:



Moving on . . .

On Saturday I received my broken/as-is Sony AV receiver. Here it is throbbing with potential:



And, after a few removed screws:



Cut down into a usable sheet:



And further cut into vents:



I was a little let down by the number of vent "columns" that fit into the final piece. I was hoping to be around 8 (photos from original look like there's around 14), but I ended up with 6. I didn't really take photos of the next couple steps, which were to (1) put the pieces on the panels and mark the pre-drilled holes, (2) use tin snips to cut around the holes, and (3) sand the backs of the vents to reveal the shiny. I really liked the patina when finished, as it looked a bit weathered. I could have gone for super shiny but decided I really liked the look.

After that, I attached the knobs from the Fettronics kit (which required a little grinding on the backs of my uber thick fiberglass panels in order for the shafts to come through far enough for the nut to attach on the other side). Then, I built a hot glue mound behind the grid screen to help disperse the green LED when blinking, plugged in the remaining lights, and then watched it blink:

 

[lawdaddy]

Other developments . . .

I received my Pentax MG camera and tore it apart for the knobs. There was part of me that hoped that under one of the knobs there would be bumps that allowed each position to "click" such that it would look very similar to the original. No such luck. But, after gluing a few different pieces together I came up with this:



I also built the "tall knob" for the 2nd Panel. I ended up using a piece of aluminum rod cut down (washer works just as well, I just couldn't find one the right size in my junk drawer), and then used an old pen I had lying around that looked the right size for the shaft piece:



Some cutting, sanding, gluing, and adding a screw for authenticity yielded this:

 

[lawdaddy]

Next, I needed to mold the T-pieces and the 2nd panel knob I created (tall knob wasn't done at this point). I put them in the bottom of a small dish I had, mixed the Oomoo rubber mold liquid, and poured it on top. One of the pieces had to be pushed back down a couple times (it floated), but the end mold pour looked like this:



Here's the other side once removed and the pieces cut out:



I then mixed up the Smoothcast, poured it in, and 15 minutes later had these:



Cleaned them up:



Now, ready for paint (along with the plastic bushings I bought from Home Depot for the additional "knobs" for the hero panel):



And, after hitting them with a little Rustoleum Metallic Bright Silver:

 

[lawdaddy]

Now, onto my Mamiya level finder fiasco. So, on eBay it looks pretty close to the original--or close enough I thought. Here's the piece as it arrived:



Uh oh:



Alrighty--I worried this might happen and already devised a plan: cut a portion off of each side so that it's roughly accurate and glue it back together. Unfortunately, two of the sides have an angle to the top metal--meaning I had to grind them flat or else they wouldn't match up once glued together with the midsection removed:



No pictures of where it's at now, but basically I cut out the sections, glued them back together with Gorilla Glue, and now have Bondo on them to even them out. Once that's done I'll make a mold and cast two in plastic. I don't think I'll be able to resell the original though . . .

 

[QCWolf]

Looks good so far! Keep up the good work.

 

[lawdaddy]

Thanks QCWolf--yours is one of the threads I've read through many times in preparation for the undertaking. I much appreciate the kind words

- - - Updated - - -

Jedifyfe, I just ran across your build thread--not sure how I missed it before, but your carbonite pour is amazing! Are you still waiting to start your panels? I'm going the complete opposite as you . . .

 

[Bigturc]

That's one creative build lawdaddy!! You'll be done way before I am!
Hit me with a PM for that viewfinder .. I might be able to help you out on the cheap side!

 

[lawdaddy]

Hero Panels -- DONE

So last night I noticed one of the panels wasn't quite functioning correctly:

Note that on the top panel the green grid light never quite turns off. Also, one of the yellow lights on the top left was doing the same thing. I emailed Fettronics and he thought I had turned the plugs around backwards (i.e. reversed positive and negative). Turned out he was right for the yellow light. For the grid, it must have been a piece of glue, because pulling it off and plugging it back in corrected the problem. Just an FYI in case you run into that.

Jon Gohlke (Fettronics owner?) also mentioned to me that a way to get a lot more dispersion/an even grid lighting would be to create a light box and position the light at the corner of the box to point to the other side. In the original video notice I have a very prominent "hot spot" with weak dispersion throughout the panel. I actually think a hot spot looks authentic, but I really wanted more dispersion than I was getting. So, I rigged up a box using duct tape and cardboard, then lined the inside with reflective metal duct tape (the kind you use on hot pipes that doesn't burn/melt). I left the hot glue mound and LED in its initial position. Here are a couple photos of the box:



Sorry--table still has daughter's birthday party "tablecloth"--this isn't usually how I roll . . .

After poking holes in it to feed the wires and then hot gluing in place, here's a comparison of the dispersion versus the no-light box approach:



After seeing the updated panels, Jon suggested that I orient the LED differently if I want to get rid of the hot spot entirely. But, from watching the ROTJ thaw sequence it seems that in the original the light definitely emanates from the center (though more dispersed than mine). I think I'm pretty close, or at least to a point that I'm happy with the light pattern, so I don't plan to do anything further there.

Of course, in that 2nd photo you can see that I've attached the remaining greeblies to the hero panels. I painted the T-knob recesses black using acrylic hobby paint and a cheap paintbrush--then rubbed the excess off with a paper towel (similar to weathering technique to be used later on Han). Here's a better shot of the finished panels:



You may note that my 4 knobs are a bit larger than the original. When I first bought the bushings I noted this and thought about taking them back/getting a more screen correct size. However, the sizing grew on me, as the originals are so close to the size of the screw hole openings from the Volvo panel that they almost don't look like they are intentional. With the bigger knobs they seem more "functional." Just my opinion--and hopefully my buddy's! For reference, here's a high-def shot of the original hero panel available here: http://www.rebelscum.com/gallery/carbonite-mib-photos/image8.asp next to mine.



For the person trying to perfectly duplicate the original, here's where I deviated: (i) grids on original appear to be a thinner pinstripe (I disagree that the original was an off-white--I think we're looking at white that has since aged a bit yellow), and have at least 1 more line on the top, (ii) the 4 knobs are too thick and not quite the right shape, (iii) the metal mesh is pretty far from accurate--I'm beginning to wonder if they used the front screen from a Telefunken Magnetophon 200, (iv) plexiglass is front-mounted rather than rear-mounted, (v) triangles should have plexiglass backing rather than caulk, (vi) digital panels should be 2 lighter shades of blue rather than the darker color I used on both, (vii) I did not add the side box/screw mechanism, (viii) the knobs are not knurled like original, (ix) the holes are not drilled everywhere in the panel/covered with a white dot decal, (x) the digital displays do not match the old style used, (xi) the LED colors do not match original (white/amber/red, whereas Fettronics kit is yellow/red), and (xii) the LED caps are not like the original and in the original are not flush to the plexiglass as I have done. I think that's it, but I'm sure I can nitpick where I've deviated all day long. That said, the goal of my build is to get as close as possible to screen accurate with (for the most par) readily available parts and with an eye towards (i) maintaining a reasonable budget, and (ii) getting it done in the next couple months. I'm also deviating as I go somewhat for stylistic reasons. All in all I think the hero panels turned out pretty well, and look more like what I might expect the builders to do if they built it today. They seem more of a modern take on the originals and have a convincing industrial feel to them (the metal mesh and knobs really feel larger and for whatever reason look sturdier to me). As a side note, for those that haven't spent much time researching the panels, there are a lot of "additional" pieces to my panels that aren't apparent in the original. If you look closely, you can make out the glue lines where pieces have been knocked off over the years. I've tried to recreate based on what appears to be missing based on my research and that of others (i.e. additional T-knobs, 4 round knobs rather than 3, etc.).

Whilst playing with the acrylic paint, I also did a little weathering and detail work to my 2nd panel flat knob:



And here's the thaw sequence for the two finished, fully operational hero panels:

Sorry--video quality is not the greatest.

And last, here are the two Hans, anxiously waiting for further progress . . .

 

[QCWolf]

I'm watching your progress with great interest. I had trouble with the green light dispersion as well. I did something similar by mounting a box to contain the light, but I'm still not thrilled with my results. I get a lot of spill through the bottom of the panel holes. I keep telling myself I'm going to fix it but that would mean pulling Han down from the wall and I'm not motivated to do that. Yet.

 

[lawdaddy]

I'm watching your progress with great interest. I had trouble with the green light dispersion as well. I did something similar by mounting a box to contain the light, but I'm still not thrilled with my results. I get a lot of spill through the bottom of the panel holes. I keep telling myself I'm going to fix it but that would mean pulling Han down from the wall and I'm not motivated to do that. Yet.

Thanks QCWolf--I think I see what you mean about the light leaking from behind the panel and then behind the Han (since there's no back). I may figure out a way to compensate in my build since I don't have the difficulty of pulling it off the wall and risking damage

 

[lawdaddy]

METAL CLIP GREEBLIES

It looks like there are some awesome 3d printed clips, as well as metal versions that look 100% the part. But, at $90 and $130, it's hard to justify for my build (think x2). I hoped I'd find some gem of a substitute part that I could buy in bulk, or locate the Staver Heatsinks on eBay or something. Nope. Nada. So, what to do? Well, I happened to have a sheet of aluminum from an unrelated project sitting around and I thought I'd try building a prototype that I could bang out 40 of. I started out with a 1.5" strip of aluminum I cut from the sheet (I used a miter saw with a metal blade to get a "clean" cut along the side rather than having ridges from using my shears). But, everything else was too small to cut with the big boy. Here are my tools of the trade from there:



Shears, bending pliers ("seaming pliers" per Harbor Freight--got these for $15.99 on sale), and my strip. Based on photos, it seemed to me that the clips were about 1.5" long, 1" tall, and about 1/4" at the top. I marked the strip accordingly, and added a dot to drill a hole for the screw (best to do this before cutting off of the strip or else you could end up getting it caught on the drill bit, flipping around and potentially slicing your hand--or at least that's what I was afraid of):



After drilling and cutting:



And now, bent into shape with the pliers:



I felt like this was pretty spot on.

Now, I don't have the tooling to cut out the shapes for the flaps on the sides or the tabs up top. But, I devised a simple 2nd piece that could mimic the look at least. Here's a 1" by 1" square I cut out for my "cross" pieces--note the excellent skill at cutting along the lines.



I may or may not have been a little too anxious on this part to see how it was going to turn out. My measurements are a little off here, and I'll be playing with that in the next day or so--so I'll leave them out of the post for now. Here's my "cross"--again note the amazing accuracy and perfect symmetry:



After a little bending work:



And, the finished prototype:



I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. This looks like a viable solution once I work out the cross pieces and take a little more time cutting those . . .

 

[lawdaddy]

I wish I could figure out a way to pull the thumbnail photos after I've attempted to delete them . . . messes up my flow.

Anyway, I wanted to show some progress on the Mamiya Fiasco. Bigturc and I are talking about the possibility of a discount finder cast, so I might end up going that route. But, even if I do I plan to see the Mamiya through to the bitter end. As I mentioned before, I glued, bondo'd, and sanded it. Here it is, "finished" and ready to be molded and cast:



Sizing seems pretty close:



Uh oh! Man, I hate this thing:



Alright, so current plan is to mold it, cast it, then go the easy route and just razor off the excess so that the lights fit the cavity correctly. I didn't notice the Mamiya's gigantor sides . . .

Also, I had a bit of a change of heart on the tall knob. I liked that my flat knobs were threaded and was able to find some cheap brass screws off of Amazon, so I plan to add that to the flat knob. And, I realized I could bondo a screw into the tall knob, back it out, and voila have a threaded tall knob too. That way--wait for it--brass screws on both! BAM . . .

 

[mikid]

Following this one...looks like fun....

 

[lawdaddy]

More Progress . . .

First off, I keep walking past this in my garage:



Each time I think of "Sony guts." If you get the reference, then you most likely agree that was one of his more underrated films.

Moving on, I cut more 1.5" strips of aluminum and marked them out (1", 1.25", 2.25", and add a dot in the top section at .75 inches to drill the hole):



I then punched small holes in each dot to guide my drill bit, then drilled the holes in the strips:



And then cut them out. Look at this mound of beauties:



That's as far as I got with those. I now need to bend them and then figure out better specs for my cross pieces. Secretly, the bending is pretty enjoyable--not sure why. I'm actually looking forward to that part. Meanwhile, I was also working on plastic bits. The night before last I nabbed another of those shallow ceramic dishes sitting in our cabinet (thanks wife?) and poured a mold for the level finders (the Mamiya) and the tall knobs. I was pretty worried about the level finder. In addition to just being a royal pain to cut and piece together, note that there is a lip partway up the vertical pieces that doesn't go all the way to the bottom. Generally, I will do a 1 part mold when I do it--item sits on its bottom, all detail is on the top and sides, and there are no pieces that would interfere with the ability to just pop it back out when it's done. Because of the huge lips, I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, and laziness dictated that I not try to make it into a 2 piece mold. Luckily, both the silicon and the plastic just after it initially sets are flexible (plastic obviously much less so). So, I was able to get them out. I also realized this was a golden opportunity to go ahead and trim back the sides where the lights were hitting from one of my earlier photos. Here's how everything came out:



I always miscalculate how much mix I need when pouring the plastic. As such, I was able to go ahead and make some more T-pieces and an extra flat knob. Why? Because it's better than hardening in the Dixie cup (not that I was able to avoid that either). Here they are, clean and ready for paint:



A side note here on my painting of greeblies. Note that I have masking tape rolled backwards around a piece of wood, then taped on the back side to hold them in the same spot (well, here the strip of tape is on the front but only because I had to flip the board due to prior paint activity). This allows me to stick the greeblies onto the board and spray paint them without falling off (I took this idea from someone else on the forum). The reason I'm using these pieces of wood is because I had them lying around and they allowed me to just walk outside my garage and spray the parts while holding them, then bring them back inside. I've been doing a lot of the work at night, and this allows me to move to where there's a flood light and avoid a big setup outside that I then have to leave in place (and probably forget and either my wife or me back over it in the morning). First thing I did was hit the bottoms of the level finders with primer. I don't need the fancy paint under there since you're never going to see it, but I also didn't want to catch glimpses of white when looking at it at just the right angle.



I then painted the main greeblies, waited a bit, then flipped the level finders over and painted them too.



By the way, I'm liking the contrast between the bright silver and the brilliant metal finish Rustoleum paints. At some point I'll take a picture of the cans so you can see what I'm using (if interested).

And to further accentuate the point:



What I find particularly interesting here is that the cap suggests the bright silver will look like chrome, and when up next to the level finders (brilliant metal finish) that certainly seems to be the case. But, in reality they look more aluminum than anything. That's actually why I liked it for the knobs. Here is one of the tall knobs next to actual aluminum. The tops of the tall knobs look terrible without a screw in them--really hoping the brass screws come in today so I can get a better feel for how these look.